Louis Tay

Degrees: Ph.D. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006-2011 BA (Honors First Class) from the University of Melbourne, Dec. 2005 BA (with Merit) from the National University of Singapore, 2001-2004

Research Interests:

How do we conceptualize well-being and how can we improve the well-being of societies, organizations, and individuals? This question is of increasing concern to academics from many fields and policy makers. I seek to delineate the social, economic, and political determinants of well-being at both the micro- and macro-level with an eye toward public policy. Much of my research is currently based on psychological theories that I am seeking to integrate with other fields such as business, economics, and sociology.

Another question that drives my research is: how can we accurately quantify constructs of interest in individuals, organizations, and societies? This entails research on newer measurement models that are integrated with latent class and multilevel techniques. With latent class modeling, we can identify groups of individuals that have unique signature patterns (e.g., signature strengths); with multilevel models, key characteristics of collective units (e.g., organizations and societies) can be measured more effectively. At a more basic level, I seek to advance current measurement models and taxonometrics that impact construct validation techniques.

My hope is to contribute to the advancement of individual, organizational, and societal well-being, through well-being research, and to enhance scientific rigor through methodology.

Research Team

My Purdue research team consists of my graduate students Vincent Ng (2013), Cassie Batz (2014), Stuti Thapa Magar (2017), and post-doctoral researcher Hoda Vaziri. In addition, I work with others in the computer science and statistics department on methodological projects.

Potential Students

Contingent on funding, I hope to admit graduate students for the Fall 2019.

Some info about the program: The Purdue I-O psychology program is among the oldest and best in the world, and we enjoy strong support from our storied alumni. The I-O faculty are very collegial and student-centered. We strive to help students achieve their best and provide substantial resources to do so. More info on our program can be found here and here.

Some info about me: I am passionate about mentoring students. I work closely with students to enable and develop areas of expertise within the broad scope of well-being and methodology. My goal is to help them pursue these ideas independently as tenure-track academics when they graduate. My desire is to graduate students who will be well-trained in theory and methodology, have a strong publication record, and have a positive academic & societal impact.

What I look for: I am most keen on admitting students who want to pursue research/academia. Basic requirements include strong GRE and GPA scores. Because the selection process to the Purdue I-O program is very competitive (we often select 1-2 students out of a pool of about 80-100 students), potential students will need to exhibit qualities of proactivity, self-motivation, and grit. Students will have substantial resources and research connections to maximize their research productivity. They should not be afraid of putting in long hours to leverage these resources and achieve their goals. Research experience and methodological training are a big plus. Students who have working experience and/or a masters degree in associated fields will also be considered favorably.